The Other Things of Reality
by Midoriko-sama
Summary: Short story based on 'The reality of things' by Lavina, on her commision.


**The other things of reality**

By Midoriko-sama (based with permission on The Reality of Things by Lavinia)

September 25th 2003

Kagome inched her eyes open, and tried to look around as much of the camp site as she could without moving her head. Tentatively, she opened all of one eye, and then all of the other. When she saw no reaction coming from anybody, especially a certain someone up in his tree, she finally dared to raise her head off her sleeping bag pillow and took the ear phones out of her ears.

Again with all the caution and silence she could muster, she lifted herself onto her hands and knees, and then slowly let herself sit back on her feet and the sleeping back cover to slide down her back. She sat motionless for a few seconds, waiting for Inuyasha to rudely call her to task, telling her to go back to sleep, at which she would answer that she needed to relieve her bladder- which he would hopefully buy- and for which task he would hopefully _not_ follow her, in which case she would dredge up some other excuse from the ones she had in her 'plan B' file . . .

But none of that happened. Kagome remained sitting quietly in the faint moonlight, a light spring breeze picking up around her. Bed-warm as she was, it made her shiver. Moving slowly and trying to shift her weight in ways she's learned while avoiding youkai, she made very little fuss with the noisy synthetic bag material.

Her bow and quiver of arrows were conveniently hidden under the sleeping gear folds, where she had left them, and she slung them over her shoulders while slipping on her shoes as the same time. As a final act, she thanked the Kami that she lived in Japan; she wouldn't never have woken up at this hour without an alarm clock, and using a normal one without waking Inuyasha was like Kagome hoping to have a cup of tea, some biscuits and a friendly chat with Kikyou.

She wrapped the ear phones, which playing the wake up call directly in her ears (and thank heaven too- her last alarm clock had 'attacked' Inuyasha, so all the ones before it) around the clock and held it tightly in her hand. She hoped she wouldn't find any trouble in the twenty minute walk there was from her camp to the well, because she'd have to throw her new clock to the floor.

She looked around the camp one last time, taking in Miroku snoozing against a tree, and Sango's sleeping bag, which she could barely make out, a few steps away. It was hidden in the shadows of the same tree Miroku rested against. It made Kagome smile.

With a final, silent sigh, she got to her feet, and tucked the fold of her sleeping bag around her sleeping little baby kit, and gave her back to the camp, ready to take her long walk home.

She hadn't gone five steps before her elated spirits at finally making it and hoodwinking the almighty Inuyasha under his nose were brought short rudely by a hand slapping down on her shoulder.

"And where exactly are _you_ going?" he growled. She turned around timidly to see a nice vein throbbing on his temple and his scowl bringing his eyebrows down to cover half of his gleaming eyes- she had been hoping for too much hadn't she?

Ok, plan A

"Inuyasha, where does a person go in the middle of the night when he's heading for a shrubbery?" she inquired, sounding as furious, indignant and embarrassed as she could. She even folded her arms across his chest and copied his pose and scowl as much as she could. She had spent many an hour amusing herself at home by doing it in front of the mirror, and she's gotten quite good at it. Homework could drive one nuts. Only homework and drugs could do that to a person.

"With your _arrows_?" he hissed "Do you think I'm stupid wench? Where are you going?"

"Yes" she said. When he stared at her, she rolled her eyes and continued "Yes as in I think you're stupid" he growled at her. She looked at him with an 'which planet are you on' look and took the glass medicine bottle out of her clothes "I've got these Inuyasha. Do you think demons will be nice enough to let me have my privacy-" she looked at his hand, still on her shoulder, very pointedly "-when you don't even do it yourself?"

"You usually wake to go into the woods, but you never take that stuff with you" he said, folding his arms across his chest too.

"Well today I left them right next to my bedding and I decided it was better to take them with me. Why? Do you want me to be disarmed to play hero?" she asked sarcastically.

"Humph" he said, looking away, although there wasn't much strength in it. She sighed and was about to turn away when he continued quietly "What's so bad in that?"

"Huh?" she turned to him again, not quiet sure she'd heard him properly

"I said" he huffed, scowling and still looking at the sky "what's so bad in protecting you"

A little smile twisted it's was across Kagome's mouth. All of a sudden, she didn't feel like going through with her plan very much. She berated herself- it took so little on his part to turn her around, and she doubted he knew what he did to her.

"Nothing, Inuyasha" she said gently "But I can take care of myself. I've become a lot better with the bow ne? and I need to practice to get better, so . . ."

"Still, you aren't going alone" he insisted, looking at her stubbornly. As _if_ Inuyasha could be turned round with nice words. She's sooner defeat the kotsu-tai with a cookie. 

"Inuyasha . . . I need some privacy" she said, pressing on the point of modesty she knew always flustered "so you are definitely NOT coming". She gave him her best angry scowl. Her want to leave was picking up again

"I always do!" he countered angrily "So no discussions . . ."

He stopped, and that was surely because the look she must have had on her face had made him rewind and re-hear what he'd said.

"You. Do. WHAT?" she hissed, barely raising her voice but nailing him with every word all the same. Why the PERVERT! He followed her when she went to the bushes! It was bad enough that she sometimes caught him peeking while she bathed (sure, he said he was there to drag Miroku back- NOT), but THIS! 

"You SICK PERVERT!" she growled worst than him. Then nerve of him, he'd even told her

"It's not like that!" he paniced, waving his hands around in the air "I'm not a pervert!"

"Then give me one reason why you follow me to the _toilet_" she seethed

"Because you're a damn weak human, that's why" he countered angrily "You can't do anything on your own- you'd be attacked, and probably if you're NOT attacked, you'll just fall over your own feet to prove just how clumsy you are"

The little nerve that had been twitching underneath Kagome's right eye intensified its activity at that comment. A clear sign of what was coming next. That and the huge black aura that was threatening to kill all organic life forms miles around coming out of Kagome at that moment.

"I-nu-ya-sha" she hissed every syllable like she was spelling a curse out "Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! SIT!"

She breathed heavily for a few seconds before looking around at the camp again. Miroku was deep in slumber, Shippo turned over and chuckled in his sleep, never missing a chance to laugh at Inuyasha. Sango's dark form didn't even stir. Good, the others were used to this by now, and she would have been sorry to wake them.

"And _stay there" she said at last to the Inuyasha shaped crater, turning around and huffing away._

The nerve of him, she thought, getting a little calmer as she went on her way. I should have sat him a couple of times more, she thought again. And not only because he's a pervert and deserves making a hole to the other side of the planet with the sits, but because _now he'd come after her to yell some more._

She sighed. Or else, if she was lucky, as soon as the sits lifted- which wouldn't be too soon- he would climb up his tree to sulk, in order for her to find him there when she came back, ignoring her.

Pervert, she thought. She tried to will her blush away. He followed her to the shrubbery . . . dear Kami that was so humiliating, and embarrassing, and perverted, and . . . . who would have thought Inuyasha was like _that!_ She blushed all the way down to her toes when she thought about it again. 'I always come' he had said. Well, he'd also said 'what's so bad in wanting to protect you'

Did he really not peek when he followed her? Well . . . Inuyasha didn't usually act perverted . . . well not counting the times he had peeked on her while bathing, and the fact that he was the only male her age that had seen her naked as many times as he had, and that he had walked into her room completely naked without a second thought . . .

Kagome pouted at herself. Ok, so maybe he _did_ act perverted sometimes . . . but Kagome really doubted that he would do something like that . . . unless, since he was a dog demon, and the whole territory thing counted just like it did with dogs, in which case he would . . .

Kagome stopped stock still, slapped herself, and then presumed her pace

"I've been spending _way_ too much time with Miroku" she muttered "My mind's clogging the gutter well and good"

She proceeded towards the well

***************

Inuyasha pulled himself out of the hole. Only Kami knew how long he'd been there this time. The spell seemed to get stronger every time she used it- and that she piled six or seven on each other sometimes didn't help him much.

He pulled the grass out of his hair, and looked down in disgust at the soil on his clothes.

Keh, stupid clothes, stupid hair, and stupid woman. How could she even think he . . . hell, true, he hadn't really put the words right- but when did he? Keh, she always took it wrong, like that time with Kouga. Hell, he'd been asking nicely if he had raped her, and she went all evil demon girl on him. There he was, ready to skin the wolf at the minimum hint of him having hurt her, and she just got mad.

The little kitsune was still chuckling, so he growled at him. He was satisfied when he burrowed under the bedding in his sleep. There, at least he got a LITTLE considerations from a SLEEPING Kitsune. Great, just great.

He huffed and heaved himself out of the hole. The monk hadn't even hitched a breath at all the noise, and Sango . . . . he sniffed around. She wasn't there, the wind told him. Her scent was old, but then so was the cat's. She had the bone with her, her katana too, and if she had the cat with her, she was supposed to be safe.

Still, she didn't usually stay away so long . . . 

He turned around a whole circle, throwing his head back and smelling the wind from all the directions. For a moment he debated going to look for her, but he really didn't want to be side tracked from his little witch this time. Most of the time he stayed away from her when he had pissed her off, but this time, no shit, he wasn't going to let her think that he was into _that_ sort of thing. Sure he'd have to be careful not to walk on her `coz he'd confirm it to her but then . . .

As he thought, his legs had begun carrying him on her trail - which was already a bit old- for quiet a while. Hell, how long had the damned sits lasted this time? Keh, she WAS going to get it for that. His legs kept moving, and he realised that she had gone rather far from the camp. And thinking about it, she hadn't taken that little blue bag she had all the bath stuff and cleaning stuff with her. She always did.

Narrowing his eyes, he hopped onto the tree closest to him and then leaped to the very top. Hanging off the top-most branch, he glanced in the direction the trail was leading

"Why that little witching bitch" he snarled. He could see the fire lights of Kaede's village not ten minute's walk away. He'd get there in half the time.

****************

Kagome yawned widely, waiting for the water to boil in the electric kettle. She hadn't had a bath this time- she always loved taking a bath after a long term in the Sengoku- but since it was so late, she didn't feel like waiting for the furo to fill up, not to mention the noise it would make, and it was _very_ late.

She yawned again, bringing tears to her eyes which she rubbed away. The shower had been nice anyway, and clean pyjamas felt good after weeks of wearing only the same uniform. She took a bite out of her sandwich, and wished her mamma had been awake. Nothing took your hunger away like some small mitoboru (meat balls) and tea. Since Souta, given the chance, always ate the lot, only her mamma knew where they were hidden.

She sighed, and silently asked forgiveness to her friends in the Senkogu. It wasn't like her to leave like that, and she really should have told Sango at least (she had told Shippo she would be leaving in order to avoid a panic), but she hadn't wanted Inuyasha to catch wind of it before. It had turned out to be useless anyway, since she had been caught. 

She had a duty with her friends, and they all had had very hard lives which sometimes left her feeling  guilty of her own life, of her ability to cross a border and find a world of piece (no matter how hard Inuyasha made the border crossing). But still, that meant that she did have a life back here, that she did come back, and that she did . . . have other commitments. Like school, for example, and her family, and her friends here she'd known all her life . . .

"Mou . . ." she muttered to herself as the kettle button clicked signalling the water was ready "I know that leaving for a date with Hojo isn't really a good enough reason". She had thought practically everything in this world that she felt she had to commit to- but Hojo really didn't figure in the picture- and she knew that well.

Still, she really had to get out of this vicious circle- or triangle really. If he wanted to die, let him. Let him throw his life away, let him go to hell with her. Who cares, it was his life, he could do what he wanted with it ne? It was his to chose and manage . . . Still . . that was what made her cry and worry and hurt the most. Not that he would chose over her- hell, that hurt, she wasn't about to lie to herself about it- but still . . .

She sighed again, poured the water into the mug and sat to eat her bread and wait for her tea to cool. She really only wanted him to be happy. His happiness was her own. And if it was with Kikyou, so be it. But she couldn't bear to think of the idea of him . . . the image of Kikyou kissing him, then pulling him into the ground came unbidden into her mind, and she shuddered. Even Kagome couldn't imagine a life without Inuyasha, but not at his own expense. He may be a rash pervert, but he was still a good man.

She shook her head, popped the last bite into her mouth and tried to wash it down with the tea, but the mug was still too hot to grab. Still munching, she stretched, looked at the kitchen clock and decided that it was time for bed three times over. Tomorrow she would go to school once she was here, and then after go watch a movie with Hojo. Last time Eri had told her Hojo was way overdue to kiss her . . . Kagome only hoped he wouldn't try, for his teeth's sake.

Where was her alarm clock? Oh yeah, she'd left it on the key table by the door when she'd let herself in. Sleep made her careless most of the time. So she stood up and padded back towards the entrance of the house. She hit her toe against something or other, as she hadn't switched the light on, and would have let off some Inuyasha language hadn't she been munching.

She grabbed the alarm clock and was about to turn, her plan being to take the tea to her room and read a bit until it cooled enough, when the front door pushed open not all that nicely.

She froze there in mid swallow, berating herself for not locking the door, and ready to run from whatever or whoever it was. Then she choked when she saw who it was.

"Inuyasha" she whispered angrily, "You nearly took the door off its hinges! What do you want?!"

"And you even ask that, bitch" he growled gutturally at her "You sneaked off to come here to your little comforts and you expect me not to come and drag you right back?"

"I came here to my _family_ Inuyasha" she said angrily, and saw him flinch a little, raising his left eyes' lower lid in a pinched sour grimace. "I haven't seen them for three weeks, can't I say hi to my mum and my brother, and tell them I'm still alive? Or do I have to ask the 'almighty hanyou' to do that?"

"Listen here wench" he snarled, now even angrier. "weren't you supposed to go to the bushes?"

"After what you said?" she snapped back "How am I supposed to know you won't just be a pervert and sneak me again 'like you always do'? Isn't that what you said? I just came here and washed while I was at it, and I'm staying tomorrow too, so deal with it". She was being careful to keep her voice down, and thankfully, so was he.

"No you aren't! You're coming back right now!" he hissed between clenched teeth "And don't put words into my mouth bitch! I never said I peeked on you, only that I followed you and kept watch of the stuff around." The door was still wide open, and moonlight was brighter here than it was in the past. She had never taken note if the moon cycles were the same, but they might as well not be.

"Ha! Like your eyes didn't roam every time me and Sango caught you two sneaking round our baths" she scoffed "You too are a pervert- Miroku and a half. At least he has the guts to admit it openly"

"You're saying I don't have guts?" he growled roughly. How was she going to respond to that?

"You won't admit you're a pervert" she said evasively

"I'm NOT!" he snapped. She scowled at him

"Well, pervert or no pervert, I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow I'm up early for school, so good_night_"

"Good nothing woman" he claimed, "You're coming back with me right this minute". He grabbed her by her underarm and pulled her in front of him towards the door. She angrily shoved him away, accidentally towards the inside of the house

"Get _lost_ Inuyasha, I'm staying here and I'm coming back tomorrow in the evening! The camp was close to Kaede's village, you can wait for me there- a day isn't long" she said, planting her feet.

"So I was right" he snarled "The whole waking up at night thing had nothing to do with the bushes". He gave her one of his scariest glares "you made us camp when we were so close to the village because you thought I'd let my guard down if we weren't close to the well"

"Well, what can I do? I can't talk it out with you, so I have to resort to these methods" she pouted "And anyway, now I'm here to stay, so go back to the Sengoku and wait for me"

"Not a chance in HELL" he snarled "What do you want to stay here for anyway? We have a MISSION to get through back there, you irresponsible woman~!"

"Don't you yell in my house!" countered Kagome "This is my mother's house, and here I have my own life Inuyasha, I lived fifteen years here before coming to your time- you think I'll throw fifteen years out the window just because you say so?". She saw his frown deepen, and then she steeled herself with the thought that neither he was willing to leave the past behind. He stepped up to her, and now they were both in the door's patch of moonlight.

"So you have a 'life' here don't you" he said, and it sounded almost bitter "With your school place and all. Is that why you want to stay here tomorrow? There isn't any _other_ reason is there". He spat out the last sentence spitefully as he stepped closer to her, and his face was twisted in disgust.

"Well, I . . ." she looked at the look he was giving her and thought she might as well "I've got a date Inuyasha"

"A What?" he asked. How did they put it at the warring states? Oh well, that was a bit exaggerated, but . . .

"I have an omiai tomorrow" she said as seriously as she could. How else could she explain a date to Inuyasha? Sure, it wasn't exactly a wedding discussing meeting- which was an omiai- but what else could she say?

Inuyasha gaped at her for a few minutes round. Then he found his voice

"With who?" he chocked out. The look he had on his face told her he was thinking of a very messy murder

"You don't know him" she stated simply "Now let me pass- I'll be back tomorrow, I promise, but now I need to sleep"

"Oh no you don't! You're not going ANYWHERE!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. In a panic, Kagome stepped up to him and slapped her hand onto his mouth

"Be _quiet_ Inuyasha! Do you want to wake the house up!" she whispered. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand off his mouth, pulling her to him by the shoulder.

"Why? Don't your parents know about the omiai? By _tradition_ they should- your father should go with you" he growled ominously at her, pulling her closer until she was pressed to him

"It's a different sort" she said in exhasperation "A Date is a sort of informal omiai, well, an occasion where two people go out together to see if they want to get married or not. It's not like the omiai in your time- that comes later" she explained, and hoped he would understand this time. An expression she couldn't read flashed across his face for an instant, and then it turned into a cocky sneer

"I thought that it was strange. Whoever would want to marry a weak, scrawny, pathetic human like you" he taunted with a smirk. Kagome stared at him with wide eyes for only a heart beat before she scowled as widely as she could, glared him dead, and hissed

"SIT!"

Of course, that wasn't exactly any intelligent move. Inuyasha gave a strangled call and plunged down with impressive force, his hands still on Kagome's wrist and on her shoulder.

The result was a very compromising position between the two on Kagome's front porch, within the patch of moonlight let in by the open door.

Inuyasha covered Kagome completely, and his face was planted next to her left ear. She really couldn't help blushing, especially since the hand on her wrist was holding it down on the ground and the hand on her shoulder was underneath her. However, her head had hit the floor rather soundly, and she groaned.

"Are you hurt woman?" he asked- and he added the woman for good measures

"What do you care" she countered, trying to breath properly where his weight was pressing on her lungs "I'm just a pathetic, weak scrawny human right?" she scowled and looked to the other side

"Hey" he growled "You _are_ scrawny, you need to eat more" he lifted himself and looked at her in the face. He didn't move his hands at all "And you got hurt with _hair_, it's not my fault if your skin's so soft". He looked away.

"Hey, it's not my fault either" she said, missing the hidden complement. "Move, I want to get up"

"Kagome, you _sat_ me. I won't be able to move for ages" he sounded almost smug at that. Oh well, she'd had it coming with all the sits she'd thrown at him.

"Well, you could at least try" she pouted "I can't remain here"

"Why can't you?" he blurted out. He kept glaring at her steadily, ignoring the colour rising up his neck.

"Because it's indecent" she scowled

"And having an unofficial omiai with some man isn't?" he glared

"It is decent- it's decent here in my time. What do you care again Inuyasha? I have to find _someone_ who cares" she snapped

"You _have_ someone who cares!" he growled

"And that would be?" she scowled "And don't say my mum, or Miroku, Sango and Shippo. They don't count"

"And why not?" he asked

"I'm talking about something else Inuyasha, don't change the subject" she scowled back "I'm talking about someone who cares differently, someone who likes me as . . ." she just had to blush and get flustered now didn't she? She was supposed to remain serious and make him get the point. Bah.

"So am I" he said, and the colour was still going up his neck, and Kagome herself was sure that her face was burning red. Her heart was speeding up as she talked about a partner for life with him, in _this_ position. 

"And who would that be?" she said, looking away from him. Who was he going to dredge up? Seshoumaru? Totousai? She wouldn't be surprised if he mentioned Myoga.

"me" he said quietly. Kagome's head snapped around, looking at him through wide eyes. Then she looked away

"Come on Inuyasha, it's not funny. Find a better joke" she said sarcastically. 

"I wasn't joking wench" he snarled "But it seems a hanyou's too little for you is it? Any human's better than a disgusting half breed, isn't it?". When she looked up at him, she could see that he was saying the truth. He was hurt- but then, so was she

"And any thing is better than a pathetic weak human like me ne Inuyasha?" she countered. She blinked to try to keep the tears in "Even going to hell" she looked away from him. When was the sit going to lift? It should have been over by now ne? she wanted to be anywhere but here after having said what scared her most.

"I didn't mean that" he said quietly. He squeezed her wrist "It's not really what I think"

"Well thank you" she said flatly and sadly "but can you get up now? I'm still going to school and to that date tomorrow". She had no intention of being side tracked- not when she knew he still intended to go wherever Kikyou took him in the end, throwing his life away when she . . . 

"So you don't care at all" he growled "Never mind that the hanyou cares for you like life, that's all he is ne, a hanyou" he started to strain to get up, and she realised that the restraining spell was indeed still active.

"Don't say that Inuyasha" she said suddenly, understanding what he was referring to for the first time "You think I don't like you because you're a hanyou? You're wrong!" she blushed when he looked at her in the eyes and she looked at his chin instead "You said you care about me-"

"I do" he scowled when her statement sounded like it was doubting his affection. He was blushing harder

"In that way?" she asked shyly. He found her hair very interesting to look at, but he nodded all the same. Kagome's heart had already been beating all too quickly, and later she could have sworn that at that moment it gave a little jolt. "Well, then . . . you know I don't care about you being a hanyou, it doesn't make any difference to me . . . I like you all the same . . in that way"

"You're serious? I mean, you don't care that I'm half and half? That I'm a half breed?" he stammered looking at her strongly

"Baka" she said with a small smile "Don't talk about yourself like that. You're a person, I don't care what you are . . . I care about _who_ you are."

"I. . . I- so do I" he stuttered, looking at his chin.

Both of them silently looked at each other's chin for a minute. Then another. Then another. 

Then yet another.

"Erm . ." began Kagome "I was having some tea, so- do you want some?"

"Erm sure"

"Ok, so we should get up and got make it" she went on looking expectantly- still at his chin.

"Are you still going on that omiai date tomorrow?" he asked

"No, of course not. I didn't care about who I was to meet" she answered meekly

"Then why were you going?" he asked in confusion

"Because I thought you didn't care for me back . .in that way" she replied, and blushed again.

"So that means I get the omiai instead?" he asked

"If you want, someday, you know- when we finish this quest for the shards and everything else, if you still want, I mean, my mum really likes you, and Souta does too so they won't mind if we, erm, you know, get married and all". She sneaked a peek to see Inuyasha light like a bulb.

"Oh, well . . . really?" he asked abashed

"Really" she replied just as meekly.

"So . . ." he said in embarrassment, finally managing to sit up off her. "What about that tea, and then we go back to the well?"

"Oh, the tea, sure" she said, standing up. He followed suit, and she tentatively took his hand and caressed his claws once. He blushed as red as his clothes, but he didn't pull it away.

"Ok," she said smiling "how many tea spoons of sugar do you take?"

*******************

Kagome giggled to herself as she Inuyasha and Shippo looked around the forest for Sango's Hiriakotsu. She had to admit, it hadn't been nice to trick them like that and leave the night before, but it was worth it, especially when she thought of her hand inside Inuyasha's.

They had ended up sleeping in her time, on the couch after having had their tea (hers by then cold) and talking a little more. It had been a nice feeling, after they had managed to get over the stuttering and the monosyllables in embarrassment. Her mother had found them asleep on each other and had woken them up, to see her smiling at Inuyasha's arm around Kagome. What Kagome had enjoyed most however, had been when Inuyasha had taken her hand just as they were about to leave the house, had turned to her mother and had said

"Higurashi-san, the next time I come, I'd like to have an omiai please"

Kagome giggled again as she remembered the look on her mother's face and Souta suddenly jumping up excitedly. Grandpa might have fainted, but he hadn't been up yet.

Shippo of course had asked her a hundred and one questions in her ear the moment they had climbed the well on this side. He had been waiting there for them on it's lip, saying that Miroku had sent him, but he had immediately lost interest as to why Miroku had done so as soon as he saw their locked hands. She hadn't told him anything of course, knowing Inuyasha, but the little kit was a curious little blighter.

Having not managed to talk the information out of Kagome, he tried to taunt it out of Inuyasha.

"I guess you got pretty far with Kagome, huh? I mean, the last time I asked you about her at the hot spring, you got all mad at me. And now you're holding her hand out in the open. What happened in Kagome's world anyway? It had to be something preeety big if you smell like her and she smells like yo- Itai!! OUCH"

Kagome could literally feel it coming- feeling the anger come in waves off Inuyasha. The same nice vein throbbed on his temple as it had done the night before for her. Ow- that didn't have to be very good for his blood pressure. Her own face probably looked as red as his though, since she was sure she could have fried an egg on her forehead.

Shippo got his bopping, but Inuyasha looked at her, saw her embarrassed look and then let her hand go rather roughly to stalk away. Hey, after he had asked her mum for an omiai, she wasn't going to stand any of his doubts. He'd taken it wrongly as usual. 

So all she had to do was walk up to him and grab his hand again to see that smile of his again. She did just that, and it was really enough. It felt nice to be able to make him smile with so little. She looked back at Shippo to chastise him a little, but he looked so fidgety and nervous that she decided not to.

The rain started coming down slowly as they broke the tree line into a clearing. There were signs of battle there, and they wiped the feeling of happiness she was feeling away immediately. As she watched Inuyasha gather the boomerang, she took in all the clawed up land, all the grass massed here and there, the thorn branches and the claw marks on tree barks. Then she saw the patch of blood on the ground

No, all was not well, Sango was hurt and ill. She called to Inuyasha to hurry, but he never did so. No, all was not well, all was not well. Miroku wasn't usually one to panic. It wasn't all well at all. They really needed to get back to the hut and see how they could help. Kagome wiped her forehead where she had suddenly started sweating badly. What if Sango was dying? What if she would never recover? 

As she looked around and tried to make out the battle in her mind, trying to see if there was any evidence that Sango might be gravely injured, looking especially at the runny patch of blood in the rain, she started to feel distinctly dizzy. Sango was hurt . . Sango could be dying . . . all was not well . . all was not well . . .

And then she fainted to the others' screams.

************

As Inuyasha opened the flap of the hut, soaked wet, his nearly-fiancee in his arms, both the old woman and Miroku looked up at him like he was some ghost. She was shivering although he had done what he could to try to shield her from the falling downpour, and her skin was so hot to touch that he wanted to scream at the old woman to do something there and then or he'd claw her. As though she read his mind, Kaede said,

"Inuyasha bring Kagome near the fire beside Sango. I will have to change her out of her wet things. Go on and sit in the corner with your backs turned until I instruct thee otherwise." Kaede waved him off as though he were a useless boy who could do nothing- and he in fact couldn't. It ate at him. He complied to sit in the corner therefore after giving Kagome to Kaede, as the group didn't know of his and Kagome's new arrangement and he wasn't eager to reveal it. Inuyasha was also glad to feel that the Monk had the decency to move to sit beside him while the old woman undressed his girl. He would have hurt him if he had dared anything else, but it seemed worry for Sango had mellowed him.

As soon as Kaede was ready, Inuyasha scooted to the girl's side, looking at her breath with difficulty and burn in sweat in the light when just a few moments before she had been smiling at him and holding his hand.

"Oi, bouzu." He called, when he noticed that the monk hadn't moved from his position

"What is it Inuyasha?"

"Kagome's all set up bouzu. Go on and say some prayers or something. Or whatever it is you monks do." He replied irritably. Did he have to tell the monk what to do? It wasn't like him to lose his head like that- but then Inuyasha himself had nearly lost it when he'd seen Kagome faint for no apparent reason.

Inuyasha looked on as the monk sat up wobbily, and then plopped on the hut floor beside him. The hanyou looked on in a little bit more than an anxious way as the other young man looked from one girl to the other, and then suddenly he startled everybody by swearing.

"_Kuso!_"

Inuyasha looked on with suspicion as the monk covered his face in his hands. He strained his ears, and his stunned frown deepened when he heard.

"Oi, monk, what did you saying? I thought you saved Sango. What really happened?" he asked, scowling for all he was worth. He didn't like that expression on the monk's face.

When the monk explained about the sealing prayer, it was all Inuyasha could do not to try strangling him. He didn't get it completely, so he said so, but he'd taken the idea that the monk had slipped up before he finally admitted to it.

He growled at the fire and at right about everything. So, the oni was dead, but still it had Sango _and_ Kagome to _feed_ on. That alone was making him want to tear at anything that came underhand; only that it wouldn't do anyone any good and it still wouldn't save Kagome. He hated not being able to help her.

When the monk positioned himself between the two women, he envied him the ability to pray- the spiritual power to chant and murmur prayers over the two ill girls and make them feel better- or at least try to- at least _do_ something. Feeling helpless was something that did not sit well with the hanyou, and feeling incapable of helping Kagome just after he had told her he cared for her, and then requested an omiai with her mother made him feel even more shamed. But he knew better than get in the way.

The sun made an invisible arc in the sky, hidden by the rain clouds which didn't relent before the night grew late. As the pitter patter stopped, and the trickle of water on the left-most corner of the hut stopped dripping from a leaky part of the roof, Kaede gave a sigh, and Miroku stopped praying for an instant. An unspoken agreement passed between them, and as the old woman resumed her murmurs, and Miroku turned to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha"

"What is it bouzu"

"I need you to hold Kagome's hand"

No matter how much that startled and flustered Inuyasha, he couldn't have stayed away from Kagome a minute longer. He had been longing to take her hand all day, and the noise of the rain on the roof had seemed to be taunting him to go to her, even here in front of every body. He had been going back and forth from her all the time in his indecision.

Just not to make his longing obvious, he passed the monk a side-long comment on how he himself would soon have to give the taiji-ya the same treatment, and the monk simply brushed him off. No matter, given the excuse to touch Kagome, Inuyasha did so with no farther ado.

Now the talking part . . . he really wasn't good at. The fact that she'd taken him for a pervert earlier was proof enough. He sneaked Miroku a glance for safe keeping and grumbled about his inability to talk. Then with a deep breath, he started.

"Um, hey Kagome. I'm supposed to talk to you about happy memories right? Well, uh, all I can really think of right now is when you were sick, and you drank the medicine I made for you. 

"And when I fell asleep on your bed, and you let me stay. And, I remember when you told me that you wanted to stay with me. I really like that one Kagome… 

"And then I guess," he coughed a bit to clear his throat a little, and stole a furtive glance at the monk. This wasn't going that bad after all, "there's always our most recent memory together. When I went to your world, and I got mad at that Hobo kid – and then you got mad – and I got madder – and you sat me again…" He trailed off, giving a little smile at the memory. He truly loved it, "right on top of you. 

"You're really pretty when you blush, ya know that Kagome? Well then, we just talked… and you somehow managed to get me to blurt out that I really liked you. And _then_ – here's the best part Kagome – you said," he took a deep breath, "you said that you really liked me too. Just the way I am. I – I've never met anyone like you Kagome. You make me so happy. I promise that I will always protect you, and I swear, I'll find some way to be with you and never leave you…"

****************

She screamed and she screamed, but this time things were going differently. As Kikyou took him down into the earth with her, as they sank, he unconscious in her arms, the youkai that bound her didn't loosen as she remembered they should have. They should have loosened, and the spell that made her invisible should have relented, and she should have been free to call Inuyasha awake.

She should have been free to call him to her, to see him leap for her and choose her over Kikyou for the first and last time.

But what mattered wasn't that he should have chosen her over Kikyou- what mattered was that he should have come to his senses with her voice, that he would have been saved.

And yet now the bonds around her held tight, and the spell fast and sound- she screamed and screamed as over and over again, she saw Inuyasha being sucked away from her- away from his life. Alive in the land of the dead for the rest of eternity. How could she! How could she do that to him! No! Inuyasha should live! She loved him- but that didn't matter! Inuyasha deserved to be _happy_ for all he had seen and passed through. No, it wasn't fair, no . . .

He died before her again, and again, and again, and again- she could do nothing but scream warnings that weren't heard. She didn't know what was worst- watching him go down, or beating the hard ground after, hating herself for not saving him, hating herself for not being half the miko Kikyou had been, hating herself for not offering him the life he deserved to live, with her or anybody else he chose, hating herself . . .

What was the point of living, if she couldn't save him? What was the point indeed . . .

No, Inuyasha don't die yet, don't throw your life, it's worth the world, don't die like that! And I couldn't save you, I couldn't save you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll follow you . . .

But then a warmth . . . . . a tingle . . . . a slight shift in the view she saw before her- as though she was seeing a badly copied video. And the warmth was spreading up her hand, up her arm, to her freezing, heaving chest, to her legs and toes and fingers and really bringing life with it.

She groggily came to her senses, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. Her hand was still warm . . . that warmth. It was so familiar- it meant something, but what . . . safety? Help? Was that the word? It felt like that to her right then. Her mind was tired, laggard as though it had been sucked out and filling with water before being put back. Even her head was heavy

"Um, hey Kagome . . ." began a voice in her ear. Him! He was alive! He wasn't dead! That was right! The demons _had_ loosened their grip on her, the invisibility spell _had_ broken and Inuyasha most definitely _HAD_ jumped out of the pit to hell to get to her. He was alive and beside her, he was alive and well.

He kept talking to her. He kept talking in her ear, telling her about times they'd had together. Oh yes . . . the medicine . . he had looked really happy when she took it . . how could she had forgotten that? And the time on her bed at home- she'd forgotten that too, but she remembered now. He'd looked so beautiful and tired.

And . . . he had liked her saying she wanted to be with him? She had never known that, he had never told her. A little blush started creeping up her face- she could feel it- and no matter how happy she felt, she fought against her impulse to open her ton-heavy eyes, smile at him and hug him with the little strength he had left. Who knew when he would talk to her like this again? She wanted to hear more . . .  

She heard him talk about what had just happened between them in her time, she heard him say once again that he liked her- now he said that he liked her a lot- and he said the best part for him had been when she'd said she liked him as he was. How could she have forgotten all this? Where had these memories been in her mind? But now she would remember. Now she would tell him every day what she thought about him being a hanyou. She only wanted him to be happy. Nothing else mattered.

"You make me so happy." She couldn't stop the smile then. It made her immensely happy to know he was " I promise that I will always protect you, and I swear, I'll find some way to be with you and never leave you…"

He wanted that? He wanted to spend his life with her? He wanted to live! He wanted to live his life! And with her- for her . . . 

"I promise Kagome, I'll never break this one, I swear to you, we'll find a way, beat everyone on our road, and then, and then if you'll still want me, then we can get married, and we'll live wherever you want, I don't care, I'll even become a human if you want-"

"I don't want that" she croaked, dragging her nearly spent sweaty arm around his shoulder "You'll be whatever you want to be- it doesn't matter to me" it was true, but saying it to him when she knew it made him happy gave it so much more meaning

"Kagome!" he whispered, as though yelling would hurt her. It still managed to sound an elated exclamation. "You're alright! How do you feel? Do you want some water? Can I do anything? Do-"

"Shush" she said tiredly, "Just hold me". He lifted her off the floor immediately and then rearranged the kimono that was coving her around her, so as to avoid giving her cold chills. Some of her hair still stuck to her face with the residues of her cold sweat.

She didn't know how long he held her, but it felt like a long, warm comfortable time. All the strength that she had lost- strength that her body seemed to have been completely drained of- strength to live too, all came back, and she felt as though she would never be healthier. 

She followed Kaede with her eyes as she left the room, and saw the way her one good eye met hers with meaning and contentment. Inuyasha was too engrossed with his nose in her hair to even bother following the old woman's progress with anything except his ears.

She took a deep breath and looked around, in time to see Miroku gather Sango in his arms . . oh no . . she was still ill. Inuyasha's arms tightened around her, feeling her tense up in distress at the sight of her prone best friend.

It did not distract her long enough, however, to avoid her seeing the tender kiss Miroku placed on her near sister's lips. And the opening of the taji-ya's eyes at that precise moment. _Then_ Kagome looked away- more precisely up at Inuyasha.

His eyes were locked where hers had been, and his mouth had formed a round 'oh'. So she looked back, and saw Sango kissing Miroku back for a brief instant before he broke off in a panic and left the hut room as though hell was after him.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered, to try get his attention away from Sango before they were caught staring "Inuyasha, did you mean that?" she asked

"What?" he countered

"That you want to find a way to spend your life, with me" she said quietly. He flushed, but didn't look away this time

"Sure I did. I asked your mother an omiai didn't I?" he said

"You're serious about that?" she asked again, eyes wide. She had been sure it had just been all a joke to embarrass her. It didn't feel much like that now, with what he had said, and with how he was holding her.

"Hai" he said offendedly "Didn't you realize that? Do you want-"

"Don't you dare ask me the stupid question of whether I want it or not or I shall positively use that word again, Mr Inuyoukai" she stated

"Which would lead us to the same result of the last one" he grinned at her, squeezing her to remind her of their position.

"Who said I'd mind?" she replied. A shifting noise broke their hushed conversation, and they both turned their faces to see Sango try to get up and fall back onto the floor. Inuyasha made to stand, but Kagome shook her head and pulled him back down.

"What happened Inuyasha?" she asked him at last "To Sango, and to me?"

"Mood shifting youkai- it got Sango in that clearing. And when you went there, it got you too, because it _feeds_ off human fear" he said in disgust "And when the bouzu killed it, he was so taken in helping Sango and he didn't say the prayers to seal the spirit. It's been living off you two and haunting you with your fears". Inuysha looked totally furious and mortified at the same time.

"That's why I saw . ." she began, and cut herself off, looking away

"What did you see Kagome" he whispered softly "Tell me what you're afraid of, so I won't let it happen"

She looked at him with round eyes for a moment, and then looked away with a terrible sadness. He held he tighter, and that seemed to give her courage.

"I saw Kikyou" his insides tightened. He should have known. She didn't trust him yet- and he had given her good reason not to. He could just see her visions, of all the times they she had seen him with her incarnation, and maybe even his promise, taunting her with that the dreams told her she would never have. 

"I saw her take you to hell" she went on, stopping his racing mind "over and over, I saw her take your life from you, and you just . . . dying. And I couldn't save you"

That was her fear? Not fear of his betrayal? No doubt in him, but fear for his life? Kagome . . . why was she so good? None of what he had done or ever could do could make him become worthy of deserving her. But she still wanted him- a hanyou- and she didn't even care what he was.

"Kagome" he whispered "I love you. I'm not going anywhere" there, hell, he'd said it. Now he could peacefully stop calling himself a coward. He hadn't even managed to spit it out while he tried to talk her awake, but now he'd said it. So there.

"I love you too, and I'll go wherever you want to go" she replied. He chuckled

"You know, I owe all this to the man you were going on that omiai date thing with. I really should thank him some day" she smiled briefly, then paused and looked away sadly

"What is it?"

"I didn't realize she was gone" she Kagome quietly "I thought Sango was sleeping. Of I had noticed, I could have followed her, and could have saved her, and-"

"And ended up as badly hurt as she was. No way wench" he said angrily "And like this, the monk gets to be the hero and gets a wake up call on how he thinks about that woman"

"Look who's talking about wake up call" she teased, blushing. He opened his mouth to answer her when they were disturbed again. This time, both of them turned to see Sango, miraculously- with all her injuries-, make it to a sitting position, then a standing one, and then even walking to the hut entrance, pulling the screen aside and walking out stiffly like your average day of the week.

Inuyasha and Kagome gaped for a few seconds before the young woman pulled at Inuyasha's clothes for some leverage and got herself off the floor too

"What do you think you're doing wench!" he hissed angrily

"I'm going after her" she said worriedly "She's in no condition to walk! And in that state, if something attacks her, she'll be an easy prey!"

"Same goes for you!" he countered

"Which is why you're coming with me ne?" she said, smiling at him and breaching though any sort of come-back he might have had. Not that he'd had any.

So he wrapped her in the kimono which had been covering her, slung her on his back, her arms around his neck, and walked silently out, to stalk Sango through the safety of the trees.

***************

They both watched silently from their hiding place behind a bush as Miroku and Sango talked. As he explained what had happened to her, Kagome gave Inuyasha an appreciative nod, as he had explained what had happened to her in just as well a manner. That seemed to make him a lot happier for some reason.

When they began talking about the kiss, both the on-lookers strained forward in curiosity.

And they were duly rewarded by Sango's little speech. Both Inuyasha and Kagome were left gaping as they had in the hut, at Sango's sheer courage and sincerity.

"Oh Sango" sighed Kagome grabbing the kimono that covered her and hugging it to herself.

"You've known about this for ages ne?" asked Inuyasha in whisper

"Haven't you?" she asked. He nodded glumly, then he glared and growled at the clearing when Sango just stood up and left, and Miroku sat there like and earthed fish.

"Come on bouzu, _do_ something" he hissed. As if on cue, Sango stumbled with a little cry, and the monk was at her side like lightning. Inuyasha and Kagome shifted around to be able to see again

After he helped her up, they started talking

"Aw great, they're fighting now" said Inuyasha

"I got that" Kagome put in. When she saw his puzzled face, she rolled her eyes at him and pointed out, "She's frowning Inuyasha. You usually do that when you're quarrelling"

"Huh?!" said Inuyasha in surprise, and Kagome was about to gape at him when she realized he hadn't been talking to her. He turned his face in the direction of the two where his ears had been fixed all the while. Sango was staring at Miroku with very little expression on her face.

"What happened?" asked Kagome eagerly

"He asked her to be his wife" he replied. Kagome nearly toppled him over to get a closer look at that. She didn't have to wait much for the answer, and didn't even need to have Inuyasha's super human ears to hear it. Sango's first yes echoed through half the wood probably.

What followed between the two now promised left both onlookers blushing darkly.

"You didn't do _that_ when I said I like you" pointed out Inuyasha. Kagome was already too red to get and redder

"Well you didn't start it off did you?" she replied defiantly. She looked at him both expectantly and embarrassedly, and he couldn't really bring himself to kiss her, since all sorts of things where going through his mind. Miroku's little noises weren't helping much.

"Erm, maybe, someplace nicer than this" he stammered, trying not to hurt her by not overcoming both his embarrassment and his little sneaky ecchi thoughts.

"Ok" she said, blushing redder (wasn't she supposed NOT to be able to do that?). That had him wondering.

"Hey, they're going back to the hut" he said, if only to relieve them of the awkwardness. Both of them scrambled silently behind the couple, seeing Miroku carrying the taiji-ya without even trying to touch her. When Sango began kissing the monk again, Inuyasha turned to Kagome with a suggestive glance and she batted him while she tried not to laugh happily at his turn of behavior. They were trying to circle them to get to the hut before them, when Kagome, feeling rather rightfully sleepy, stumbled in a root and fell onto Inuyasha, who in turn was caught off guard and was sent on his stomach on the path, Kagome on his back, a few paces behind Miroku. He turned, Sango in his arms, and one look at their guilty faces told him what they had been up to.

"I think some of the evil is still in you Kagome-sama; I thought eaves dropping was above you". She grinned back at his own expression. Sango just smiled and flushing

"Oh well, congratulations!" she said, rising off Inuyasha, who stood up too, and walking to her friend. Sango was let down reluctantly and she hugged her friend to her. "This seems to be the night for engagements" continued Kagome happily, hugging Sango harder

"Indeed?" asked Miroku in amusement, eyeing a now fidgety Inuyasha.

"Kagome . ." he began

"Didn't you want to tell them?" she asked sadly, turning to him.

"No! I mean- Yes, but not, erm I mean . ."

"Can _I_ tell them?" she asked tentatively. When she saw Inuyasha nod eagerly and then fold his arms to look away, she wanted to laugh. He was still tongue tied- it didn't matter if they knew, just as long as _he_ wasn't the one who had to tell them

"Inuyasha requested and omiai with my mother this morning" she said shyly and proudly

"Finally!" said Miroku "Be blessed, the both of you"

"You too bouzu" grinned the hanyou. Miroku took Sango's hand and walked up to Inuyasha to take him under arm. Kagome found herself under Inuyasha's _other_ arm.

"This calls for a celebration!" said Miroku happily, leading them towards and into the hut. The noises of people being awakened and of laughter filled the village's head hut for the rest of the night.

Now, all was well indeed.

End

Hmmm, I hope you like it. I inserted a couple of things that were novel, but I guess it couldn't really be helped. I hope you like it all the same!

Ja ne!

Midoriko.


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